What are ANGELS?

The word angel means messenger. The holy angels are messengers from God while the fallen angels are messengers from Satan. Angels are created spirit beings -- they do not have bodies in the sense that man does.

Angels can be present in a given place. They are not omnipresent. Angels are a company, not a race. They were created all at one time; there is no procreation among them. Jesus made it plain that angels do not marry (see Luke 20:34-36). Angels do not give birth and do not die, hence they neither increase or decrease in number. In the Bible, they are referred to in the masculine gender. Angels are not to be worshiped -- the Bible warns against such practice (see Revelation 22:8, 9).

Except on those very special occasions when God chooses to allow man to see them, angels are invisible to the human eye. We are unaware of their presence.

Angels are moral beings endowed with the ability to know and do what is right or wrong. They are represented as having superhuman wisdom and intelligence, which implies that they have knowledge that is above man's. Although the Bible tells much about their power and strength, they ate not omnipotent -- their power is derived from God.

Angels are sent by God to protect, help or fight for His people. Angels were involved in announcing the birth of Jesus -- to the shepherds, Mary, Joseph -- and also to Elizabeth and Zechariah. Although angels are more powerful than humans now, in the end believers will judge or rule them (1 Corinthians 6:3).


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